Editor’s note: This is the first part of a three-part series that follows the fall sports that were canceled due to the university’s cancelation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Eight hundred and seventy-five miles away in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, the Wolfpack volleyball team waited.

And waited.

Unable to fly home due to the threat of Hurricane Katrina striking, the team waited to see what would become of their university and the city of New Orleans. They practiced in the parking lot of their hotel and at a local high school, trying to sharpen their skills and keep their mind off of Katrina, but the news to come was anything but pleasant.

The ‘Pack had finished a preseason tournament with a 3-1 mark on Saturday, Aug. 27 – when head coach Tommy Harold was alerted that Hurricane Katrina was coming straight for New Orleans.

“We got on the phone and started talking with parents,” the third-year coach said. “We had two sets of parents; those that wanted us to stay put and those that wanted their daughters to come home, so that they could evacuate together.”

After four days of waiting, Harold learned that the University had decided to cancel the semester.

“It put a quick end to the season,” he said. “We sent kids back home or where their parents wanted them to go.”

Players dispersed – enrolling in colleges and taking up jobs in the meantime.

Communications sophomore Sarah Howard turned in her jersey for an assistant coaching position with her Alma mater in Houston. Among her pupils at St. John’s School was Howard’s younger brother.

“It was fun, because we’re both setters. We didn’t bicker that much.”

Howard said that she missed her friends most during her time of displacement.

“I missed not having my roommate – my best friend – that I spent everyday with since freshman year,” Howard said. “I missed the city too. I really like the culture and history of (New Orleans). It’s like living history.”

Howard, who moved into her Calhoun Street apartment two weeks before the hurricane hit, lost all her furniture and most of her clothes because of flooding waters. She and her roommates were forced to find alternative housing.

With the season washed away, Harold bunkered down in Georgia re-recruiting players. Harold was able to bring back 12 of the 13 players, losing one freshman.

The ‘Pack returned to practice on Feb. 1 after more than four months of separation. The ‘Pack soon found out that storm winds blew off several skylights of The Den, allowing rainwater and debris to enter the facility and sections of the wood in the court to buckle.

While the ‘Pack await a new wood floor, the team has scrimmaged against NCAA teams South Alabama (Division I), West Florida (Division II) and face Southeastern (Division I) today.

“We’ve held our own,” Harold said. “We’re definitely behind the curb, but their committed, and I’m committed to working with them in the spring”

Among Harold’s difficulties is drawing prospective players to New Orleans because of the city’s post-Katrina portrayal as a battered city.

“New Orleans is a tougher sell than it was six months ago,” he said. “Still we got some good prospects, though we’re a little behind what we normally are at this time.”

Harold said he still has recruits visiting campus during March and April.

Due to the cancellation of the season, all fall sports teams will have an additional season of NAIA eligibility.

Michael Nissman can be reached at [email protected].